King Nicolas of South Vietnam
'Nicolas '(Nguyen Huu Kiet; born 20 October 1988) is King of the Vietnamese and Head of State of the Kingdom of Vietnam. Nicolas was born in the Third Mansion, the royal family's summer residence in Dalat, South Vietnam as the eldest son of King Henry II and Queen Thu. He succeeded his father, King Henry II, on 16 February 2018 after the former abdicated in his son's favour due to declining health after 36 years as King. Nicolas is from his maternal side, the sixth great-grandson of Louis XVI of France, his paternal line includes being second cousins twice removed from Bao Dai, the last emperor of Vietnam and last monarch of a unified Vietnam. Nicolas is the world's youngest monarch and youngest head of state. Early life Nicolas was born Prince Nguyen Huu Kiet in the Third Mansion in Dalat, South Vietnam, the former summer home of Bao Dai, on 20 October 1988—six years into his father's reign. He was baptised at Dalat Cathedral in 1989, Nicholas after Saint Nicholas of Myra. His siblings, Princess Thuy Linh and Prince Nguyen Huu Minh were born in 1995 and 1997, respectively. From an early age, Prince Nguyen Kiet showed great proficiency with the violin, which his mother encouraged. In 1995, during a holiday to America, Nicolas played a recital for the UN General Assembly. Nicolas also began practising Taekwondo at the age of seven when he became restless during prince lessons and the Queen's advisor, Vo Linh Phuc suggested it as a stress reliever. Early naval aviation interest Nicolas also became interested in the military early on, particularly the Navy and its Naval Aviation program, which in 1995 were still flying the US F-14, 15, 16 series of fighter jets. Nicolas particularly enjoyed vacationing in Nha Trang, home of the nationally recognised Naval Academy of Vietnam. On a ship inspection trip to Royal Navy Base Cam Ranh in 1995 with his grandfather, King Henry, the little prince said, "One day, I'll make this Navy into the best in the world." King Henry's biographers have said that this statement by his grandson made him assured that South Vietnam's future was in good hands. Crown Prince of Vietnam As the eldest son of the king, Prince Nguyen Kiet was already heir assumptive of Vietnam. In 1996 at the age of eight in a throne room ceremony, his father, King Henry II granted him the style of Hoàng thái tử ''and the titles of Crown Prince of Vietnam and Duke of Dalat—the traditional title of the Crown Prince since 1907. The event was watched by 14 million South Vietnamese on KingTV. Vo Linh Phuc served as the first regent until the Crown Prince's 13th birthday at which point the Queen will take over as stipulated by law. Official duties As Crown Prince, Prince Nguyen Kiet is ''in loco ait rex, however, until legal maturity (17), the Crown Prince had few official duties other than occasional ceremonial duties and schooling as those were handled by his regents. He and his mother participated in the dedication and opening of the Pleiku Nuclear Power Plant in 1996. In 1998, the King and Crown Prince became the first royals to step foot in Hanoi since 1955 during a historic state visit. The President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam commended the Crown Prince on a well-played recent violin recital. However, the Crown Prince did dedicate Prince Nguyen Kiet Children's Hospital in Dalat at the age of 11 and open Parliament at the age of 14. Diplomatic meetings In 2004 at the age 16, the Crown Prince accompanied the King and Prime Minister to the United States after the 2003 invasion of Iraq to discuss SEATO's position, as South Vietnam did not agree with the US-led invasion. Upon reaching age 17 in 2005, the Crown Prince's first duty was a troop inspection at Royal Air Base Tan Son Nhut where he also met USN Captain Anthony C. Drake, at the time also the commanding officer at NAS Miramar, home of TOP GUN. In a private meeting, the Crown Prince asked about improving South Vietnam's Naval Aviation program and carrier operations. Capt. Drake invited the Crown Prince to Miramar and NAS Pensacola to learn more. The Crown Prince accepted and visited in March 2006. The Crown Prince represented South Vietnam at the 2006 ASEAN University Games (in an official capacity not as a competitor) and played host at 2006 APEC Vietnam at the Royal Palace of Saigon while the King underwent an appendectomy. The Japanese Prime Minister was particularly receptive and impressed by the Crown Prince during the two-day summit. Early legislation The Crown Prince's official duties were reduced in 2005 to allow the Crown Prince to focus on and further his studies at the Naval Academy of Vietnam, however, in spring 2006, he spearheaded the Clean Energy amendment campaign in the House of Lords and helped Liberal then-Prime Minister Duong Phuc Nguyen in getting Conservative votes during a public campaign for the Public Wellness Act, which led to the South Vietnam Health Service ensuring all South Vietnamese affordable access to essential care and services, while enrolled at the Naval Academy of Vietnam. Education European International School tbf… Naval Academy of Vietnam tbf… Naval Air Station Pensacola tbf… Yale University tbf… Military service Vietnamese Naval Aviation tbf… Top Gun competitions tbf… Korean incident tbf… Reign Coronation Royal Standard tbf… Royal patronage tbf… Foreign relations tbf… Honours and styles TBE… * National Order of Vietnam * Military Merit Medal * Navy Meritorious Service Medal * Gallantry Cross with Bronze Star * Gold Wing Ribbon * Bronze Anchor Ribbon * Leadership Medal, Regiment * Good Conduct Medal, First class * Military Service Medal, Third class * Naval Service Medal, Honor class Category:Leaders Category:Leaders in Asia Category:South Vietnam (PW Verse)